


many and beautiful things

by rolandtowen



Series: The Dragon and The Wolf [9]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang & Zuko Friendship (Avatar), Ambassador Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Boys In Love, Firelord Zuko (Avatar), Gay Zuko (Avatar), Gen, Hakoda (Avatar) is a Good Parent, Handfasting, Idiots in Love, Iroh is a Good Uncle (Avatar), M/M, Romantic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wedding Fluff, Weddings, Worldbuilding, im not kidding there's a lot of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-23 01:48:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30048084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rolandtowen/pseuds/rolandtowen
Summary: Zuko and Sokka get married, binding themselves and their nations together.TW: canon-typical racism (from Ozai, the asshole)title from Sappho's writings:"you will rememberfor we in our youthdid these thingsyes many and beautiful things"
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: The Dragon and The Wolf [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2115390
Comments: 7
Kudos: 73





	many and beautiful things

Most days, Zuko dresses simply.

Black undershirt and trousers, layered with his royal armor, and a fine red tunic and sash on top. He prefers it to the traditional regalia, which he always feels like he’s drowning in. He only ever dons his regalia during meetings with unruly Fire Nation officials—to remind them of his status. His tailors are thankful that they no longer have to sew replacements for the regalia every year, and his guards are thankful that Zuko can move freely and defend himself.

But today is his wedding day, and Zuko is buzzing with excitement over his special robes. Kanna and Iroh worked together with the royal tailors to create wedding robes specifically for Zuko and Sokka. Zuko runs his fingers down one of the long sleeves, feeling the embroidery on the hem. The robes are based on the traditional Fire Nation style: floor length with a sash at the waist, red accented with black and gold. But the embroidery is all Water Tribe. Kanna painstakingly stitched a line of waves along every hem of the garment, adorning the focal points with phases of the moon, the Water Tribe symbol, and the figurehead of the wolf. When he looks in the mirror, Zuko breathes a sigh of relief. He looks _nothing_ like Ozai.

He’s kept his hair trimmed so it just brushes his shoulders, and his three braids are tucked behind his right ear. Even wearing the Fire Lord’s crown in his topknot, he looks nothing like the Phoenix King. He had visited Ozai in prison after their engagement of course, proudly wearing his new beads—proudly marked by the Water Tribe. He told Ozai that he could come to the wedding if he behaved himself.

Ozai spat at his feet and called him a blood traitor.

So. Ozai won’t be attending today.

A knock sounds on the door to his chambers. Zuko hasn’t seen Sokka yet—they’re still following the old tradition that the Fire Lord not see his betrothed until the ceremony—but Lia has been roped into passing notes between them.

“Enter.” Lia peeks her head in the door, and gasps softly at the sight in front of her.

“My lord, you look stunning.” Zuko blushes.

“Thank you.” She passes a folded piece of parchment to him.

Zuko finds Sokka’s messy writing inside: _ready when you are._ His heart flutters. He turns to Lia. “Tell the crew to prepare our ships.”

Lia bows. “Right away, my Lord.”

* * *

It’s a beautiful spring day as two ships leave the Capital port. As they sail, Sokka resists the urge to look over to Zuko’s cruiser. He fidgets with the fur lining his robes. His wedding robes are basically a more elaborate version of his wolf armor—but crafted with scarlet fabric and golden thread. Where a moon emblem would be on his chest, instead there’s a carefully embroidered flame entwined with the silhouette of a dragon.

He knows they’re close when he spots Appa swimming on the horizon. Aang and Katara are on a plain ship beside him. As they approach, Sokka can see dozens and dozens of ships that showed up to attend the ceremony, stretching out as far as the eye can see. There’s the fanciful ships of the Northern Tribe, a large vessel decked in green he can only assume is for King Kuei, and the most Southern ships he’s seen in one place for a very long time.

Sokka and Zuko’s vessels slow and dock next to Aang and Katara’s ship. Sokka can see the flame from the Fire Temple and water from the Spirit Oasis already set up beside Aang, who’s wearing his formal yellow robes. Katara stands beside him, wearing a dress in lilac tones. Both ships lower their planks, and Sokka and Zuko exit at the same time, each gaping at the other.

Zuko breaks the silence. “You look incredible, my love.”

Sokka ducks his head. “So do you.” He blushes.

Aang clears his throat and calls the ceremony to start. Zuko and Sokka join hands and stand before him.

“We’re here today to recognize a historic union between two nations. For over a hundred years, the world has been scarred and divided by war. Today, Fire Lord Zuko and Ambassador Sokka will be tying their hands and their lives together—our world no longer has to be defined by divisions. We are strongest when are united in love.”

Aang motions for the couple to step forward. Zuko places his right hand flat against Sokka’s beneath it. Aang and Katara breathe deeply together and begin to bend. Katara bends the Spirit water from its vial, and Aang bends Agni’s fire from its lamp. Both elements form rings that encircle the young couple’s joined hands as Aang continues.

“Fire Lord Zuko, do you promise to protect and love Sokka, to shield him from pain and to uphold him in times of strife?”

Zuko gives a watery smile. “I do, by Agni’s will.”

Aang faces Sokka. “Ambassador Sokka, do you promise to protect and love Zuko, to shield him from pain and to uphold him in times of strife?”

Sokka smiles back at Zuko. “I do, by Yue’s will.”

The boats around them erupt into cheers. The elements encircling their hands are released and guided back into their respective containers. Sokka feels Hakoda clap his hands to his shoulders, and Zuko can hear Iroh sniffling behind him. Aang turns to the gathered boats with a grin on his face. “I present to you, Fire Lords Zuko and Sokka!” The crowd cheers again, and Aang turns to face the couple again. “I guess, um… you guys should kiss?”

Zuko laughs before clasping his hands around Sokka’s face and kissing him for the first time as his husband. If Sokka felt literal sparks fly from his mouth, he’ll never tell.

* * *

While their betrothal party was formal, stuffy, and traditional, the after party to their wedding was anything but. Ships wove strings of lanterns between their masts, planks were lowered on every ship, creating a very confusing labyrinth, and no one seemed to want to tell Aang that he wasn’t actually of drinking age. For all intents and purposes, he really was 118 years old, and no one really wanted to tell the Avatar to put down his bottle of white spirits. Katara rolled her eyes at him. If he had a hangover, she’d just heal him tomorrow.

Above all the hustle and bustle that was the giant floating reception, Sokka and Zuko snuck their pieces of cake up to the crow’s nest on Zuko ships, and they were having a rowdy good time shoving Iku’s carefully crafted cake into each other’s faces. She had created exactly what Zuko had in mind: a three tiered cake, frosted with deep blue, almost black tones, and painted constellations and moon phases on with gold luster.

Zuko was giving her a raise when they got back, no matter how much she protested.

For now, he was content to hold his new husband in his arms and watch the stars with him. The party raged on below them. He’s pretty sure he can see Toph and Suki tearing it up on the dance floor. He smiles, knowing that ships had always freaked Toph out a little bit, touched by the fact that she still attended their wedding. Deep down, Zuko wishes he could have brought Ozai, could have shoved his face in the joy and happiness unfolding on all of these ships and said, _this? I did this._

“Zu,” Sokka kisses his forehead. “You’re in your head again.”

Zuko smiles. “I know. But this time, it’s happy in my head. We did this, we made this, together.” He locks eyes with Sokka. “And now I get to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Sokka kisses him again, on the lips. “I told you I’d be a fool not to love you.”

And he means it.

**Author's Note:**

> UM HI thank you for coming on this crazy journey!!
> 
> I think there will be one more part to this series, and then that'll be a wrap! Writing once a week has honestly been such a good thing for me in this pandemic, so if you have any avatar fics you'd like to see, feel free to suggest some! (I don't write smut tho)
> 
> Again, thank you all for reading. Unclench your jaw and have some water for me, k? I love you all <3


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